Amazon Seller Feedback: 5 Important Things to Know

If you’ve stumbled upon this article, you’re probably trying to figure out how to get more Amazon seller feedback. Amazon feedback is important to sellers for many reasons. In addition to helping you build a positive reputation, it also impacts your Buy Box position and relationship with Amazon.

Before you go much further, there are five important things you must know about Amazon seller feedback. They are:

#1: Amazon Seller Feedback is Different from Customer Reviews

When it comes to the issue of feedback vs. reviews, there’s still confusion among buyers and sellers alike. It’s understandable why they’re so often confused. Both utilize a star-based rating system. In addition, customers can leave open-ended comments for a more in-depth explanation of the experience.

Although similar, there are specific differences between feedback and reviews. Here’s a quick rule of thumb:

Feedback refers to the customer’s opinion about the merchant

Reviews refer to the customer’s opinion about the product

In other words, your customers could rate their interactions with you, the products you sell or both. It’s worth noting, however, that the seller can be rated multiple times by the same customer (assuming that the buyer places multiple orders with that merchant). A product can only be rated once by a specific person, although reviews can be changed or deleted at the reviewer’s discretion.

#2: You’re Allowed to Solicit for Feedback

Amazon.com, Inc. (“Amazon”) mentionssoliciting feedback as a viable way for improving your Amazon seller feedback score. This often comes as a surprise to sellers, especially those new to the Amazon marketplace. As long as you play by the rules, Amazon feedback solicitation is completely compliant with Amazon’s community guidelines. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise (there’s a lot of misinformation on the seller forums, btw).

So, what’s the best way to solicit feedback from your Amazon shoppers? That’s the million-dollar question. There are basically three viable paths:

DIY automation – Build your own follow-up sequence (via the Amazon MWS API) that sends follow-up messages to customers. Who has time or resources to do that?

Automation as a service – Let FeedbackFive solicit for you. Set up your account, customize your settings and move on to more important things. Pay one flat monthly fee based on your email volume and desired feature set. Learn more about our affordable plans or sign up for our forever free plan.

One final note about solicitation. While a well-crafted message can go a long way with buyers, timing might be even more important. Try to think like your typical buyers. When are they most likely to be available and willing to rate their experiences? The answer to this question might vary based on product line, buyer persona and consumption cycle.

#3: Customers Have 90 Days to Leave Amazon Seller Feedback

Sellers are under a lot of pressure to perform. Amazon’s performance metrics are daunting, to say the least. A few mix-ups or delayed shipments, and you could be facing an unpleasant interaction with Amazon’s suspension department.

Buyers, on the other hand, are given every benefit of the doubt – and, perhaps rightfully so. After all, they’re the ones that keep the Amazon train moving full speed ahead. A perfect example of Amazon’s leniency toward buyers is the time frame to leave feedback. The vast majority of orders are placed, fulfilled, shipped, received and, in many cases, consumed within a week’s time. Interestingly, Amazon gives customers a 90-day window to leave feedback.

Why are customers given such a generous period to leave feedback?

Amazon doesn’t provide a clear answer to this question. Most likely, the 90-day window is intended to give the buyer plenty of time to reflect on the transaction – especially if things don’t go as planned. For example, an order shipping from China to the United States may take ten days to arrive. If the item arrives broken or not as described, there could be several more weeks of back-and-forth to make things right. When viewed from this perspective, the feedback window benefits the buyer and seller.

#4: Negative Feedback Can Be Removed by Buyers (within 60 Days)

Sellers new to the Amazon marketplace often assume that negative feedback is permanent. Luckily, negative feedback can be removed by the buyer. Of course, removal doesn’t magically happen on its own. You have to take action.

Buyers have a 60-day window (from the time of publication) to remove their negative ratings. In our experience, however, swift action dramatically increases the likelihood of removal.

Let’s imagine that you accidentally ship the wrong item to a customer. Instead of sending you an email about the situation (like a normal person), the buyer hauls off and leaves a scathing feedback. Unfortunately for you, you’re not using FeedbackFive (which would have sent you a text message or email within moments of the negative rating). A few days pass before you check your feedback rating in the Seller Central dashboard. Needless to say, you’re shocked to see the negative rating. Worst of all, the customer has taken your silence personally. Despite your best efforts, there’s no chance that he will change his mind and remove the feedback.

When negative feedback happens, reach out to the customer within minutes. Be friendly, professional and seek to make the situation right. In doing so, you’ll show the customer that you care. You’ll also set yourself up for a better chance of feedback removal.

Amazon now has eleven different global marketplaces, serving more than 180 different countries. Expanding into international waters represents a huge opportunity for merchants of all sizes. One caveat to consider: you can’t share your feedback score across multiple marketplaces. You’ll have to build a new score for each marketplace.

Before you invest significant resources into an international supply chain, you should map out your reputation management strategy. Do you have the resources to manually solicit beyond your domestic marketplace? Will you need to hire a translator to convert your feedback request emails? Can you reasonably expect feedback conversion rates that are similar to those in your home country?

Automate Your Amazon Seller Feedback Process

Ready to get more Amazon seller feedback and win the Buy Box more often? Sign up for a free trial of FeedbackFive, trusted by merchants since 2009. Choose from our gallery of prebuilt feedback emails, build your campaign logic and watch the feedback roll in.

As the Business Development Manager for eComEngine, Colleen Quattlebaum is committed to helping Amazon Sellers succeed. Colleen reviews the latest market trends and strategizes on how to improve eComEngine’s offerings, so she can pass that insight and value on to Amazon merchants.

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